The Tale of Falada Goose
by XxRin-sanxX
Summary: This is the story of my original character, Falada Goose, the son of the princess from the fairy tale The Goose Girl. After a fateful meeting with Cerise Hood the two become close friends. Watch as they juggle friendship, secrets, romance and all the drama surrounding Legacy together and with their Best Friends Forever-After.
1. Meet Falada Goose

_Hey, people! This is an OC-centric story about my own original character, Falada. He is the son of the princess (not the pretend princess) in the Goose Girl. Yeah, she has a son, not a daughter. So... Goose _Boy._ I hope you guys enjoy! I literally just wrote this a few minutes ago and is the first thing I've written since my hiatus the middle of last summer. Not sure how good it is, but really hope you all enjoy! Please tell me if you think I should continue!_

_By the way, this is not written is the same writing style as Shannon Hale's. Oh, and speaking of Shannon Hale... You should go check out her book_ "The Goose Girl"_ which is obviously just a rewrite of the original story by the Brothers' Grimm. It is really good. Okay, shameless advertising of my favorite author author (during my childhood and preteens) is now over. __  
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_Oh, and story contains male/male, yaoi, slash or whatever you call it, so if you don't like that don't read this then!  
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_Enjoooooooooooooooooy the story with tea and crumpets, dearies! _

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Falada sighed as he looked longingly out his classroom window, watching as the bright and colorful birds hopped from one branch to another on the apple tree right outside. Glancing to the front of the class at the teacher, he figured he wouldn't be missed by anyone. Clearing his throat, he stood up suddenly, "Um, may I be excused to go to the restroom?" He looked around the room to see that all the other students including the popular Daring Charming, the future king of his own kingdom, and his younger brother Dexter Charming.

Without waiting to hear the teacher's response, he grabbed his books off the desk, an open textbook to some random page number to look as if he was paying attention, and his writing notebook which for today only contained doodles and zero note, and then his book bag from where it hung from one strap on the back of his chair and scurried out of class. Not taking the chance to be caught any staff that might have been lingering by he quickly turned the corner and rushed down the hall, thankful the exit was so close to his class.

The second he stepped outside, he immediately felt his anxiety and worries fade, and let his shoulders slump forward. He looked around the courtyard to see no other classes or even the random student was out there. It was a large and grassy field, roughly around the size of a football field with dozens of apple, cherry blossoms and other types of trees dotting the yard for students to sit down at and enjoy the warm weather while they talk with friends. Looking further to his right, he saw where the grass with upward towards the sky on a huge hill that you couldn't see the other side of that was mainly used by the fourth year students. He never went over there, preferring to sit down by his favorite tree, but heard rumors of there being a small lake over there. Beside the hill was two large towers, both made of large stones and in between them had a marvelous set of spiral staircases that cut off into to directions at the top, one leading to the taller tower with the purple door and brass handle and the other to the slightly smaller tower that had a rounded door and small knob.

He knew both towers belong to the daughters of Rapunzel and was donated by their father who apparently spoiled them rotten. It was their personal, one-bedroom dorm rooms; ones that gained the two girls much envy from the rest of the female students. So much dislike that the student council president, Apple White, had a vote to get them taken away saying it wasn't fair to the rest of the students. Which got turned down by Headmaster Grimm, though, it was never explained why; rumor has it was because their father paid him to keep it up. Falada didn't believe it; a stick-in-the-mud like Headmaster Grimm would never accept a bribe.

Shaking his head literally to clear it of anymore thoughts, he realized he was still standing there near the entrance of the door. Sighing to himself, he flapped his hands up, encouraging the wind to lift his feet off the ground like his mother taught him how to do at age five, and floated over to his favorite tree. It was an apple tree, much like the one he had looked at from inside the classroom, except with more branches and less apples. Leaning against the hard bark of the tree, he forced himself to shut his eyes and just listen to the wind. Being a wind-speaker was his special talent, known only to people of his own kingdom, but being the prince, he was exceptionally well at controlling the wind to do his bidding. Ah, yes, he was a prince. Here at Ever After High, all the students were the sons and daughter of various and famous fairy tales characters. When you began your second-year of being at the school you were to be trained in the ways of following your parents' footsteps, your destiny. Then of course, there is the infamous day of the singing of your name in the Storybook of Legends. That was the momentous day where all second-year students pledge to follow to story of their parents, and keep their stories alive. Anyone who failed to do so, it was believed, goes _poof._ Vanishes, disappears and their story just ceases to exist.

Falada sighed, eyes still shut tight, as he pictured his mothers' golden locks, their curliness that bounced perfectly and her vibrant, green eyes that sparkled. Would she disappear if he didn't sign? Would his father? He tried to picture his father next with his tall, muscular build, his broad shoulders and his graying hair. He couldn't picture his eye color, though. His father was a busy man, and even though their kingdom wasn't as large as Cinderella's or Snow White's, they had a fairly large population – in fact, they were beginning to become over populated – and that kept his father busy. So busy, most nights he wouldn't be able to come down for dinner or even lunch, and once even forgot his name.

Opening his eyes, he glanced at the grass, and chuckled without much humor. He was still floated even as he sat cross-legged, his book bag hanging low and brushing the grass. Taking it off, and putting his two books inside, he forced himself to lower down. He sighed, his mind not yet ready to let go of the thoughts. _Would his entire people just vanish along with him if he didn't sign? Would his kingdom vanish from the maps, and everyone just forget they ever existed? Could he risk it? Was he selfish enough? _Falada cringed at the last one. Was he? Was it? Was it selfish to not want to sign, to want to choose his path in life?

The rest of the school seemed to think so. But as he tried to imagine becoming King, one day ruling over his students next to his wife, he stomach churned. That wasn't the life for him. When he was younger he watched his father slowly lose the light in his eyes as he was forced to take on the weight of an entire kingdom, the lives and well-being of not just his own family, but of all the others who lived in his kingdom. Banging the back of his head on the hard bark of the tree, he tried to imagine the life he wanted, one filled nightly rides on his beloved horse, of morning and evenings working at the stables that belonged to some other future king, and most importantly, coming home to—

He was broken out of his reverie by the soft footsteps of someone coming towards him. Looking up and put his hand over his eyes to avoid the suns' rays from dripping into his eyes and saw a boy around his age with silver eyes that were a bit too big for his face and dark brown hair that was tied into a loose ponytail wearing a black robe that right after his knees and regular jeans. He came closer to him, a small smile on his face, before standing directly in front of him.

"Well, hello there Tall, Dark and Handsome, what can I do for you," Falada said with a grin, casually glancing around to make sure no other students were there to see them.

The boy rolled his eyes, "Professor Nimble sent me to get you," he replied, holding up his hand to show the pass he held. "Fala, you can't just running out of class. Even if we are second-years we can still get in trouble."

Falada frowned, but patted the spot next to him in invitation. "This close to Legacy Day? I doubt it. Not when we have our destinies to focus on." When the older boy sat down next to him, he grinned and laid his head on his shoulders.

"Falada…" Morpheus said, a light blush rising on his cheeks. "This area is too public, we have to be careful." But even as he said the words he was turning to face him and gave his a light kiss on his head.

Knowing what his boyfriend said was true, he sighed. "I'm sorry, Mory, you know I can't stand being inside too long. It makes me restless; I had to get out of there." Reaching with his hand, he grabbed the other boys' hands in their shadows.

"It's okay," Mory mumbled under his breath quietly. His voice was so naturally low sometimes Falada couldn't even hear him even when being next to him.

Falada grinned once more before quickly scanning the area and checking no one was there. When he saw no one he reached up to capture his lips in a kiss and used his free had to grab his shirt to pull him closer as they deepened the kiss. He heard the pass dropping onto the grass, classed momentarily. He knew eventually he'd have to go back, but for now he just closed his eyes and enjoyed the moment.

And as the two boys made out, they were unaware of someone walking into the grassy area, her red hood pulled above her head covering a dangerous secret, her long, ebony hair with the one streak of white in the both her bangs and hair, also covered and her eyes rounded in shock as she watched the two boys kiss before as silently as a wolf tuning around and going back the way she came. She had only come out here because it was her free period, she never expected to see anyone else out here, no one ever was. The hooded female never expected to have discovered another secret in which she'd be force to hold.


	2. Friends-In-Training

_Hello, peoples! Whoo! Feeling pretty good about my writing today! Got two chapters out when I wasn't even expecting to get one done! I hope you guys really enjoy it! I decided each chapter will alternate between Falada's or Cerise's POV. Sorry this chapter might be slow to start, after getting interrupt my my mom and my beloved pet kitten in Heat multiple times, I kind of forgot a lot where it was suppose to be going. Guess it shows, maybe not, I dunno. xD I literally just finished typing this - finally - and don't feel like going back and checking for typos and stuff. If you see any, please let me know! _

_This story is follow the 6 to 12 weeks before Legacy Day as Cerise becomes best friends with Falada, and tries to keep her secret, well, a secret during the brewing chaos of the Royal v. Rebels showdown until the climax with you-know-what happening at Legacy Day. Didn't want to accidentally spoil anything for those who may not have seen it. :) You know, and the usual high school drama with friends, crushes and general stuff of high school, especially a fairy tale one. To be honest, I'm home schooled and the years I did go to high school I was very quiet and shy without the excuse of hiding a dangerous secret like Cerise has. So, this may not all realistic (as one can be at EAH), but then again this is fanfiction! Lol._

_Annnnnd, let me respond to reviews..._

_Lily and her tramps: Thank you so much! I am glad you like it! The name Falada comes from the name of the princess's beloved horse in the original story. It is magical and can speak, and in the end has a terrible fate where it's head is mounted on a wall. :( But after reading Shannon Hale's version of the Goose Girl I loved that poor horse and decided to name him after it. :) Here's that next chappy!_

_Blackbird Nite: Thank you! I'm glad you think they would be cute together. And, to be honest, I did think of doing that, but I dislike OC x CC (canon characters) unless it is done with minor characters, so sorry. And Cerise isn't minor enough for me. Hope you enjoy the rest of the story!_

_Enjoooooooooooooooooy! And feel free to drop a review if you feel so inclined._

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Cerise Hood felt her blood rush as she ran, her heartbeat drumming faster and faster as she pushed herself deeper and deeper into the enchanted forest that stood in a thick mass of green trees and forest creatures behind and toward the left of her high school, Ever After High. Finally, she began to slow down skidding to a stop in an area so deep she doubted any other students would be seen this far. Flopping down on the ground, her red, hooded cloak being lifted up around her before slowly settling around her where she sat with her legs tucked under her.

"_Yip, yip, yip,_" she heard seconds later before she saw a lovely, blue-eyed wolf pup run up to her before stopping only inches away from completely crashing into her.

"Hey, girl, looks like I beat you again!" Cerise said, a laugh bubbling out of her. It felt good to not be afraid of others finding out her secret or giving her an odd look as her laugh ended with a slight growl in it.

The wolf pup came closer closing the distance between them and licked her face affectionately, but slightly slimy. She didn't dare wipe it in front of her, at risk off hurting her feelings. The pup's name was Carmine, after her favorite shade of red, and has been her friend since she could remember. Letting down her hood that covered up her most dangerous secret, she shook out her hair and started giving the gray fur a good scratching.

"So, Carmine, I found out a secret today," the young lady started, "there's this boy, I don't know him too well, but I know his name is Falada and he was a secret that can get him kicked out of Ever After High. Not as wild as mine, but for him, but must be really important it doesn't get out. So, of course, I'd never tell." She paused, her ears twitching as she thought she detected a sound and tried to focus in on it, it sounded like voices, but they seemed to be headed in the other direction. After waiting for a few moments, she continued; glad to have someone to talk to freely with even if it was only her beloved pet. "See, Falada is in a wicked relationship, with someone who isn't in his story which according to Headmaster is strictly forbidden. And it's not even a girl! It's Morpheus, he is the son of the Sandman, and he is almost as quiet as me. We're Chemythstry partn—"

She stopped suddenly, but not because she was almost babbling to her friend. With her wolf-like ears, the reason she is forced to always were her hood least her secret get out and cause trouble for both her and her family, she heard the school bell ring that signaled a new class period was about to begin.

Looking at Carmine, the pup looked at her with big, pleading, and baby-blue eyes from where she had been listening to her tell her about her new discovery. She licked Cerise's hand. "I'm so sorry, girl, but I can't stay today! I promise to come back as soon as I can. Go find the rest of the pack, okay? Tell them hi for me." Cerise turned away not wanting to see Carmine's eyes lowering as she delivered the unfortunate news.

She stood up and brushed off her cloak before hiding her ears partially behind hair and then even more completely with the thick, red hood of the cloak. Blowing a kiss to Carmine, she ran, though not as fast as she did when racing against Carmine, and this time not getting any of the joy from before.

Cerise looked across the classroom of her Creative Writing class, at her friend Raven Queen. Raven was her only friend who knew of her secret heritage, that her mother had actually _married and fell in love with_ The Big Bad Wolf. Her story was the perfect example of why the Headmaster forbids any out-of-story romance. But she was to follow her moms' destiny does that also include marrying The Big Bad Wolf? Who would she marry, anyway? Her own brother? She shuddered at the idea, it was hard enough to be around him during her school breaks, and she couldn't even imagine what marrying him would be like. Full of nuggies and fighting, she bet. And, still, her own _brother? _

Deciding she better focus in class, she looked up only to unfortunately catch Professor Nimble's eye and see his grin with her enhanced eyesight despite being seated near the back of the room. "Ah, Cerise," the teacher began, "would you like to do the honors of reading what you wrote?"

Why did he always call on her whenever he saw the chance, she wonders, she always says no. Glancing around the room she saw that the entire class, which included her friends Raven and Cedar, turn to stare at her. Feeling insecure suddenly, she gripped her red hood and pulled tighter around her ears and face.

"Uh, no, Professor Nimble," she said, and as she was about to sit down, she stopped and straightened back up. "Professor Nimble, can I go to the restroom?" Some of her more immature classmates giggled.

The eccentric English teacher didn't answer and instead gestured wildly to the pass that hung on the door, reminding her somewhat of her friend Maddie Hatter. Making sure her hood was covering her ears and head properly she fled the room, making sure to grab the pass on her way out. Quickly turning the corner her sensitive ears picked up on someone coming toward and stopped right before she bumped into someone. Looking up past eyelashes, she saw it was none other than Falada. Awkward…

Cerise went to say "Excuse me" at the same time he went to say "Did you see us outside?" They both paused and waited for the other to speak. Finally, Cerise cleared her throat and said in her low, quiet voice, "Um, what did you just say?"

Falada looked stunned, almost like he hadn't meant to say the words, and open and closed his mouth like a fish for a moment before snapping it shut and going around her. She almost let him leave, but something stopped her. She didn't need anymore secrets to hold, and he needed to know that he could trust her and she would keep quiet.

"Falada, I did see," she said her shy voice bouncing off the walls making it sound louder than she intended. She watched as he spun around, probably to insist she never tell, but cut it before he could say a word. "I won't tell, you know. Anyone. I know the importance of keeping a secret hidden." She didn't mean to but she gripped her hood and held it in place.

He paused at moment, shocked, before coming over to stand by her, his feet never touching the ground. "I saw you as you were leaving. I felt the wind currents move as you left and opened my eyes," his voice was low and quiet, so quiet the daughter of Little Red Riding Hood didn't think she'd be able to hear him without her wolf ears. "I was going to come by your dorm room and talk to you, but I guess this works to."

"You know what room my dorm room is in?"

"Oh, um, not really," he admitted quickly, "but Mory is your partner in Chemythstry, so I figured he might know."

Cerise swallowed a laugh, not wanting to get the odd look from him she was so used to. This was the most she'd talk to another fairy tale character since Raven discovered her secret, and she didn't want it to end just yet. "That sounds like a very hexcellent plan," she said, smirking.

Before he could reply, though, the bell rung through the hallway and startled them both. Cerise growled, her eyes glancing back and forth for a threat before quickly realizing what happened. _Oh no, not again,_ she thought.

"Excuse me," the girl said before brushing past him, embarrassment making her face burn.

She was already around the corner when she heard him say, "Hey, hey wait up!" She considered stopping, but didn't and sped up her pace. Kids were finally beginning to come out of their classroom, chatting with friends and squealing as they saw their friends from other classes come out into the mix. It was lunchtime for all second-year students and she was hoping to get lost in the crowd. _ With a secret like mine, even being friends with him will always end up like this,_ she thought sadly.

"Hey, Hood Girl, wait up!" she heard suddenly, and this time she did out of shock that he was able to catch up to her. She was in the Grimmnastics with him, and when Gingerbreadman made all the boys run track, he wasn't the last boy, but he was always third or fourth last. She felt his hand grip her arm. "Hey, wait up, would you? Just don't go rushing off, if you were that hungry you could have said so."

She turned to face, moving to avoid getting hit on the side by a kid. Looking around, she gestured for him to follow her to a spot that was calmer with less bustling kids. When they got there she studied him for a moment. His dark brown hair at the tips and very beginning of his roots were beginning to lighten, and she guess he dyed it darker and he was a natural blond. His eyes, which were emerald green had black flecks in them, were wide and inviting. She wasn't sure what it was but something about him was open and inviting. Her mother always said wolves had a great sense of character.

Cerise sighed softly to herself, maybe it was because she thought her mother was correct, or maybe she just wanted to be able to go home in the next break and tell her family that she made more than just one friend this year, but she decided she was going to chance it and trust Falada. She wouldn't tell him her secret, of course, but being his friend wasn't so bad.

"So, um, what is it?" She heard him ask and realize she'd been standing there silent while she thought.

"I… I wanted to apologize for running away like that. That, uh, noise you heard, it was my stomach. Total fairy-fail," she cracked a smile, before gripping her hood and holding it in place. She really hoped she'd believe the lie.

The look on his face said he didn't, but he shrugged anyway. "Hexcellent," he said finally, then, "Come on, you can sit with me and my friends."

She grinned; maybe she'd be able to bring some good news home after all. "Okay, let's go. But, uh, I eat kind of sloppy. Brothers, you know?" Well, it was partly the truth.

He laughed, and frowned when she didn't join in. "Don't worry, we're all guys mostly. Hope you don't care."

"Not a bit," Cerise said, before she started walking and heard him follow behind her. Slowly down her pace, she let him guide her to wear him and his friends sat. It was totally a step up from eating by herself.

_Maybe this won't be such a bad year after all…_


	3. The Enchanted Forest

_This chapter was more to fulfill my 1,500 word goal for the day, so it may lag a bit. I really hope not! If you feel the characters are OOC in any way, PLEASE tell me so I can fix it. I am honestly not sure. I think it may be, but just can not be sure. I even think my own character may be OOC, which is weird. Or maybe I am just second guessing myself too much. Either way if you notice anything, let me know. :)_

_Now, on to reviews..._

_SayWhatYouWannaSay: Thank you for the review and the story favorite! I'm glad to know you liked it and that I did Cerise well in your eyes. And thanks, was worried what others might think of him, seeing as absolutely zero thought with into him. You're comment is appreciated! :D :D :D And by the way, I really like your username, reminds me of my favorite lyric from a song I love. :) Kudos to you! XD_

_Lily and her tramps: Thank yoooou! I am always happy to a compliment on my writing! Haha. And even though I hadn't planned it, that was a flimsy excuse! Lol, her excuses are funny! You'd think she's be better at this, you know? And that's okay, it isn't very know that story._

_Annnnnnnnnnnnnnyway... Enjooooooooooooooooooooooy, my dearies!_

* * *

_Two weeks later…_

Falada grinned and poked Cerise on her shoulder, ignoring the low growl that came from her. "You're staring at him again."

Shifting over from where he was hovering cross-legged over the grass he looked in the direction she was. He glanced at the table where most of the other Royals sat at, the boys goofing around and pushing and shoving each other. Even though the first thing he did was look over a few tables to look at Morpheus, he knew she was going gaga over a different boy.

"I wasn't looking at Daring," she muttered in response, before lowering her eyes at the ground where her tray was sitting, empty except for her can of Pumpkin Orange soda. "I wasn't staring at anything."

Shaking his head, he lowered himself on the ground. "I didn't actually say you were staring at Daring, did I?" Seeing her annoyed expression under the hood, he laughed softly before saying, "But he is a good piece of eye candy, though. I can't believe you set your hopes for a pretty boy, even Fairy Godmother couldn't give him a brain."

Cerise didn't respond, and since they became friends a few weeks ago he was beginning to realize she believed in not saying anything if it wasn't nice. He appreciated it, and changed the subject in order to spare his friend some embarrassment. "Did you hear of the rumors? People are saying that Raven Queen and her friends aren't going to sign the Storybook of Legends."

It was now a popular topic around campus. Only being in two classes with the girl, never having spoken to her before, he didn't really know what to believe. He only heard rumors, some saying that she was the one to turn Headmaster Grimm into a chicken-man the other day. He didn't believe it, it was probably a wayward spell from Evil Magic and Sorcery 101.

"I don't know," his hooded friend answered finally, "it seems like something is happening around here. And with Legacy Day only a few weeks away, people are just coming up with rumors as to what."

Falada opened his mouth to respond, but stopped, the question getting lodged in his throat like a dam holding back water in a river. _Would it really be that bad if we didn't sign?_ Of course it would be, he heard Headmaster Grimm in his head say, your story will disappear and you – you will go _poof_ and vanish! Shaking his head furiously, he didn't realize his hands were clinching and the wind was beginning to blow much faster than normal until he heard Cerise make a sound. Looking over he saw she was desperately holding her hood in place as the wind tried to pull it back.

"Oh, sorry, about that," he said quickly trying to take deep breaths and opening his fists to flat palms. It didn't touch the grass; he was too high up in the air now. "Why do you always wear a hood, Cerise? Your white streak looks fine." He had a theory he wanted to test.

Cerise held her hood in place a few moments longer before letting go and twisting her hands together. "Oh, um, it was a gift passed down and is really, really important to me."

_Bingo was his name-o! She is changing her story up! _Falada grinned in accomplishment and was about to comment on the fact, but another thought stopped him. _It must be a pretty evil secret if she is purposely lying to me like this._

"Hey, you okay up there?" Cerise said, breaking him from his thoughts as she accompanied the question with a soft knock on his temple with her knuckles.

As he was about to answer, the school bell rang and students began to throw away their food and move around them, the chatter and sound increasing as friends said good-bye to friend with difference classes. Both he and Cerise slowly began to get up, and Cerise then hurried inside and put her tray where the others were stacked. He didn't comment, but he knew she was excited as always to get to her next class. Daring Charming was in that class and she didn't want a chance to be late. But this was his free period, and since Cerise has Chemythstry with Mory, he was left a little bored. Not that he didn't have other friends, but most of them had classes right now.

Looking around the castleteria, he realized only the people who clean up after each lunch were here and he had missed probably both Cerise and Morpheus saying good-bye. He'd see him when he went back to his dorm room, but that didn't stop him from imagining him. He pictured his secret beau with his silky, dark brown hair that fell like water around his face when he took it out of his ponytail and his gray eyes that just seemed to see right through him. Most days, he was almost as quiet as Cerise, not one for speaking much unless it was around him or someone else he felt comfortable enough with. Most people didn't like talking to him anyway, as he tended to accidentally let loose from private information he shouldn't know. As the son of the Sandman he couldn't dream his own dreams and so instead he went and viewed other peoples' most personal dreams at night. Falada sighed, but smiled, he couldn't wait to see him. Now that Cerise knew their secret, she often helped them sneak out at night for dates in the woods were no one would catch them together.

Deciding he didn't need to just keep standing there he floated his way back outside to where he and Cerise had sat. Morpheus didn't sit by them today like usual since he had promised to help some of the kids from his Crownculus class with their thronework. Shaking his head, he knew he his boyfriend had to have been uncomfortable in the crowd. The other boy and the one other girl that sat with them had decided to go with him, so it had just been him and Cerise. Not feeling like sitting in one place he kept going, urging the winds to keep his feet above the ground. Looking around in the distance he saw that a few classes were outside today. The only place let to go was the forest or back inside, so without considering going back to get a watch or his mirror phone from where it was charging in his dorm room he headed in the direction of the Enchanted Forest.

When he entered the forest, he stopped and took a moment to breathe in the scent of pine and…something else. Sniffing, he realized it wasn't the normal scent of the forest; at least it wasn't what he normally smelled when the class came to the forest for lessons. He frowned, there was rumors that next week all the second-years students would be getting their pet, the one to help them in their story, each different and varying from student to student. Maybe that was it, the pets were here earlier. Even so, he was curious and he kept moving forward into the forest.

Closing his eyes he tried to remember the times he and his mother would go off into the forest without using their horses and his mother would close her eyes and say, "Listen to the wind, Falada, let it guide you can you will never get lost." And he'd watch with his round, green eyes even rounder as his eight-year-old self watched her maneuver through the trees, eyes still closed as she felt the listened to the currents of the wind and felt how they moved and shifted around the trees. Even though he could command the wind with ease, he never had the skill to really listen or feel the wind the way she did.

Coming back to the present Falada kept his eyes closed and tried to feel the currents. He wasn't good at doing it on command. Keeping them shut he took a few steps forward and thinking he felt the currents move around a tree and went to step around it only to bump into another tree.

"Oi…" he murmured, and opened his eyes, rubbing his head where it had collided with the tree. With his eyes now open he saw that he was correct that there was a tree, but had stepped around it too far.

He grunted and continued on, moving around trees with eyes open, and not caring how deep he went. In a school as normal as his, he could use some excitement (one that wouldn't get him expelled from school), and figuring out what was in these woods was a start. It wasn't until the corner of his eyes were burning he realized he was squinting to see in front of him; he was so far in the Enchanted Forest that most of the trees tops above him were blocking out most of the light and it was almost too dark to see. With a sickening feeling in his stomach he realized he was lost, probably skipped at least two class and in deep trouble. Closing his eyes once more he tried to feel the air currents, or at least what direction they were headed figuring it would eventually lead him to an exit. Unfortunately, they were leading him further and further into the forest.

Groaning, he began to walk, all the while wondering how he never realized how big the Enchanted Forest really was. He should've paid more attention in class. His legs were killing him and his body ached, and he was forced to stop. Looking around he found a decent area, where one of the trees were bent over and the leaves provided shade that he didn't really need. Not having the energy to walk anymore, he let the wind pick up his feet and guide him over there. Closing his eyes, he felt the irony as he was able to feel wind currents perfectly, just like his mother always wanted him to do.

He could have gotten up and used it to guide his way out the forest, but didn't have the energy. Not right now, but in a few minutes he would. Promising himself he'd wake up in only a few minutes he closed his eyes and rested…

When he opened back his eyes, he immediately reclosed them, the harsh, bright light stinging his eyes. Keeping them shut tightly for a moment, he was cautious when opening them a slit before blinking several times and finally able to keep them open. That's when he realized he was no longer in the forest and was able to feel the soft cotton of bed beneath him.

"Where am I?" He said, jerking upright and looking wildly around, his eyes not able to focus on one thing for two long. Had he actually been _kidnapped?_ This wasn't like any room he ever saw at Ever After High.

"Oh my fairy godmother, you are alright!" The voice came suddenly and to his right. Looking over about to demand to be let go, he didn't get a chance as a blur of black and red surrounded him and he was being squeezed to death. Wait. That voice was familiar.

Using the wind to push the person away from him, he gaped. It was Cerise. How had she found him? And, more importantly, what was up with her ears… Seeing her hands move up to secure her hood was in place, he hurriedly got his hands from under the blankets and went to grab them. But she was too fast and grabbed it and held it in place. Clearing his throat softly, he laid back down. From this low angle he could see inside her hood and her pointed ears. His head felt woozy and his stomach was in knots. And he was cold. Despite the blanket, now that the adrenaline was leaving he realized how bad he felt.

"Falada, oh my, are you okay?" Her voice was low and her hands still gripped her hood. "I... I found you in the woods, um, just taking a wal—"

"Cerise," Falada cut in, not in the mood to another one of her lies, "what is wrong with your ears?" He realized it was the wrong question to ask when he saw her face turn into a pale white, the blood draining from her and she let go of her hood, grabbed the necklace that was always around her necklace and jumped away from him to stand next to the bed.

"Well…"


	4. The Wolf is Out

_Hello, lovely readers! I want to just say thank you all for reading my story even though of you who do not review. I also really, really, really hope you guys don't hate the ending of the chapter. I re-wrote it about five times in my head and once on paper. This ending was the one that seemed the most right. I am nervous as heck, so please let me know if you feel I should change it!_

_This chapter is also double my 1,500 word goal! Lol, just felt the need to say that to the FFN world! :D Oh, and speaking of FFN did anyone else have a problem with their "Manage Stories" thing? I kept getting an error code. :/ ANYWAY! On to reviews!_

_Lily and her tramps: Yep, the secret is out! Waaaay out! ;-) I don't really ship them together, but if anyone could make Daring the least bit likable and not sure a vain, self-adsorbed twat, it is Cerise. And Daring would be able to bring Cerise out of her shell. I think they would bring out the best in each other. So, maybe I ship them, but I could. It'd have to be done very well. And, yeah, about the midway name switch, it just came to me that way. _

_SayWhatYouWannaSay: And thank you! I hope you also think this one is awesome! :-)_

**_And please don't forget to check out my poll to decide the fate of Derise in this story! For those of you unaware, Derise is the couple name between Cerise and Daring. :-) _**

_Now enjoy this chapter, my dearies! *cue evil laughter*  
_

* * *

"Well…"

Cerise let go of the locket and wrung her hands together as she tried to remember how she told the story to Raven. She remembered the locket and showing her the picture, and she remembered explaining that her parents had fallen in love and broke the rules. But that was different then now. She knew she could trust Raven, Raven was the one who didn't want to sign the Storybook of Legends; Raven was a rebel who hated her story. She knew she could trust her not to tell. That wasn't the case here. Even though she still felt she could trust Falada, and even though she could hang his own relationship over his head, she just didn't have that same reassurance she did before. And they were friends, even better than her and Raven despite Raven already knowing all about it, and somehow that made it about ten times worse.

She heard Falada clear his throat and looked her square in his eyes. "Well what?" His voice was soft, and didn't even sound accusing or demanding. It sounded scared; like he knew whatever it was would change things between them forever.

Needing just a few more seconds before she said anything Cerise took careful, slow step when taking off the necklace and sitting it on the bed before getting back on it herself. She winced when she heard him hiss, like the movement of the bed hurt him.

"Sorry," she muttered. He didn't respond, but slowly nestled more under the covers. She took a deep breath. "Falada, what I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone. If this gets out it isn't just me who'll have to pay, but my entire family."

When he didn't answer her she looked over him, his eyes were closed and she saw he was taking low, even breaths. She knew why, too, in the short time he knew her she learned the powers he inherited from his mother were centered by emotions, the more emotional he got, the more the wind speed picked up.

Finally, she heard him say, "You can trust me. I know the importance of keeping a secret, too." He sat up on the bed with shaky arms, and she quickly went to help him up. "Thank you." He smiled.

And then silence. But it wasn't tense, or awkward or even weird. It was accepting, like both friends were coming to a realization. And Cerise was, as she sat there on the bed, she grabbed the locket and rubbed her thumb across it, she realized she could trust him. She realized this was what it was like to have a real friend, someone she can be one hundred percent honest with. She hoped she wasn't wrong…

Taking a deep breath, she opened up the locket and turned it to face him. "You see that man right there… He's my father." She held here breath, waiting her him to say something. Maybe he would catch on as quick as Raven did and she wouldn't have to explain in detail. But he didn't and when she looked at him he had a confused expression on his, and used his hands to motion for her to continue before wincing and putting them back. "Um, well… He's also the Big Bad Wolf." She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. There. It was out now.

"O-oh," she heard him stuttered out, clearly shocked and then felt the wind pick up her hood and blow it backwards. She didn't try and hold it in place and let it fall. "Cerise…" His voice trailed off and then he was quiet.

After a few moments of silence, when it was clear he wasn't going to continue, she said, "Um, can you say something? Anything? And please, Falada, you c—"

"I won't," he cut in, his voice quick and his eyebrows pulled together like he was still putting things together in his head, "I won't tell anyone, not even Mory," She tried to ignore how his voice cracked a little; she knew both boys kept no secrets from each other, but this would have to be an exception.

She couldn't help it and reach over to give him a hug. "You mean that?" She had to be sure.

Clearing his throat, he nodded before saying, "Yeah, I do. If anyone understands a secret relationship, it's me. Me and Morpheus…" His eyes widened and mouth went into the shape of an _O_ like he was hit in the face and he looked straight at her. "Mory! He must be worried by now. I never came to Geografairy class or to the dorm room. Where does everyone think I am right now?"

Cerise couldn't help but be a bit confused. He just found out her mother had a child with the Big Bad Wolf and with one mention of his boyfriend, all of that was forgotten, his thoughts only about him. Maybe that was what mom meant when she went all mushy and talked about _true_ love, the kind you risked everything for. And isn't that what he and Morpheus were doing? They both knew they could be expelled for their relationship and they risked it anyway, all because they loved each other. She began to feel bad for ever doubting his trust even though she knew it was only logical with a secret as big as hers. But she knew his. Even though she knew her father would be upset she bought him _here_, to their secret home, and then above all, let their secret out _again_, she knew it was the right thing to do.

"You were out for only about two hours," she admitted, "when I found you, you were passed out by a tree. You were freezing to death, Falada. I think literally. Since this is only a temporary home, we don't have as much here, so my father and I laid you out and put all the covers over you." She paused, and looked at him more closely, his skin still wasn't the exact color it should be, but it was close. She felt her heart soar and remembered how scared she had been, she thought he was going to die even though she could hear and feel his heartbeat. Even when after he was in bed and dad had yelled at her, she knew she did the right thing; he might have died out there. It got very cold at night now, with the autumn season about to be here.

Continuing, she said, "No one knows you're here, this is a small cottage that dad uses while I am in school to visit me sometimes. We have dinner dates sometimes. And Morpheus… He was a bit worried when you didn't come back to the dorm. Skipping class is one thing, but when you didn't show up he came to me asking if I'd seen you. He spooked me at first, even with my hearing I didn't hear him come to the door. Anyway, I told him I thought you were with him. After a half hour, he asked me to ask around; the other kids were too freaked by him and wouldn't say anything. A Royal said he'd seen you go towards the forest after lunch."

He groaned and leaned back to lean against the wall where the headboard was suppose to be. "He's going to kill me. But, um, what do we tell hi—"

His question was interrupted by the sound of the door opening and closing. Just from her nose she could tell it was her father. It was confirmed when a second later he was standing in the doorway. When he saw them on the bed together his brown eyes flashed golden, but Cerise didn't know if that was the fact her hood was down and her ears were fully exposed or if it was some fatherly instinct because his teenage daughter was sitting on the bed with a boy in it.

"Daddy..."

He cut her off. "Cerise, I think we nee—"

She cut him off, if he was going to be stubborn then so was she. "_Dad, he knows already." _Cerise squeezed her eyes shut. She loved her father dearly, and he could be a very kind man, the one her mother fell in love with, but her mom always said wolves were stubborn. Especially her father. When he was angry, it got loud.

"Cerise Red Hood, what do you mean he _knows? _When we sent you to that school, young lady, we thought you could handle the responsibly of keeping our family a secret. First, it's the cat and that witch, but now boy y—"

"Hey, hold it," was the sudden burst from Falada, and she felt the wind speed pick up and blows her hair around. Cerise opened her eyes and stared at him. "Look, Wolf Daddy, I don't know anything about a cat or witch, but this time it wasn't her fault and it took a lot of courage to tell me this. It was actually really _hard_ for her. She didn't just strut in and yell, 'Hey, Falada, guess what? I'm the secret lovechild of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf!' Instead of blowing the roof of this place like it belongs to one of the Little Pigs, why don't you stop and actually talk to the person she told instead of talking _about _him."

Cerise felt her mouth drop open. Most people who met her father ran away in terror, afraid to be eaten. And even though that obviously wouldn't be the case here, he never expected him to stand up for you like this, let along a speech. These past two weeks he's come to realize he wasn't loud or boastful or vain like most Royals she knew, he was quieter and thought about things before he said them. He didn't stumble over words constantly like Dexter did, and he wasn't as showoff-y as Daring was (though she was convinced there was more to him underneath), and from the few passing comments he did make about his home life she knew there was a reason for it. But still, to stand up for her like this to the guy everyone else ran away from took guts. Especially when she had felt him shift under the covers some, moving lower as if hoping he would forget his presence a little more.

She heard her father stomp closer to them, breaking her out of her reverie. She stood up and placed her herself in between them even though she knew he wouldn't lay a finger on either of them. He just paced when he was angry, and he wanted to be more intimidating. "Daddy, please, he isn't going to tell he understands—"

Her dad cut her off again. "He understands, Cerise? Does he? Tell me, how much does he _understand?_" He growled low fisting his hair and turned to look at Falada. "Yes, boy—"

"It's Falada, sir, and I'd appreciate it if you called me as such." There was a hard edge to his voice, and Cerise looked over her shoulder to see he was sitting up with his chin high, staring her father directly in his eyes.

Cerise turned back to her father when she heard him say, "Okay, Falada, tell me? How much do you understand? Do you understand the trouble my family would be in? What would happen to my daughter and her brother if this was to come out, hmm? What would happen to my wife?" Cerise felt her heart clench, he hadn't said anything about himself. Even when this angry he was only worrying about his family and Cerise had to resist the urge to give him a huge.

Both of them waited for Falada to answer, only the sounds of the forest outside to be heard and their breathing. After several moments he finally replied, "No, sir, I don't. But then again… Neither do you or any of us, I guess. This is the first time in history that any of us know of that after signing the Storybook of Legends, someone broke the rules and changed the script. But I do know what it feels like to risk everything on the sole fact you love someone, which I do know. And that's why you can trust me. Cerise is my friend, and she knows my secret. You aren't the only one who ever fell in love with someone not from their story, and as long as she doesn't tell on me, I won't tell on her. A secret for a secret… And speaking of secrets, I can't stay all night. We have to get back to the dorms. Cerise said they asked around and if Headmaster Grimm finds out I'm gone he'll check everywhere including this forest."

The young lady heard her father hum which is what he does when he is thinking hard about something and went to go sit on the edge of the bed. Looking at Falada she saw he was still paler than he should be, and that he was holding his left side with his hand. She had to remember to ask about that when this was over. Her dad was still humming, a bit louder, and Cerise saw that his medium-brown hair was undone, his shirt not tucked into his shorts (the cold didn't bother wolves as much as it does people, even a half-blood like her). She also saw bags under his eyes and felt bad, her father didn't sleep as well out here, constantly on edge for anyone who could be a problem.

"Daddy," Cerise finally said, breaking the near silence of the room and standing up, "he was telling the truth, we can't stay here much longer. And… and you shouldn't either. Stay here, I mean. So far three people, including Falada, have found out. You should…you should go back to the other house with the rest of the family. It may be getting to dangerous to stay here any longer…" Cerise couldn't help it and teared up a little. She loved her father, and she loved knowing he was close by if she ever needed him, her safe place to be. But she had to say it, because this was more important. If this ever got out, it could destroy them all; Falada was right, none of them knew what would happen, but it was nothing good.

"Cerise, baby, are you sure you want to do this?" But something told her this was part of what her father had been humming about. They both knew the answer.

"Yes, Daddy, I am." And with that she ran over to hug him. She loved his hugs, and in them she felt protected from anything, like the entire outside world could be blown away with one huge gust from her father. "'Bye, Daddy," she whispered.

He didn't say anything to her, and just hugged her tighter before letting go and clearing his throat and looked at Falada. "I'm trusting you, b— er, Falada, do not disappoint me."

Cerise had almost forgotten he was here and turned around to face him. He was staring at his hands, seemingly uncomfortable with their display of affection. He didn't say anything but "We should go now."

And with that he struggled to get off the bed and she rushed over to help him. She only nodded when she heard her father say he would be gone to tell her mother and brother the news. At least they would be thrilled. It didn't take long for them to get outside, his arm around her shoulders as she helped him up. _The warm dorm rooms at Ever After High would be great for him_, she thought, _and not to mention, a few more hours of sleep. Good thing tomorrow is a Saturday._

Cerise breathed in the fresh scent of the forest she loved. A warm, happy feeling spreading through her body as she came to realize everything would be okay. Falada would never tell, and now they could become even better friends. Or, like she heard other girls use, best friends forever-after. She smiled at the thought, shifting to help him stand at a better angle. And even though her father was leaving, she at least knew she'd see him again when the next break came. And from now on, she would be much more careful with guarding her secret, and have a friend to help her. This might be the best school year after all.

"Falada, than—"

"Cerise," her friend cut in quickly, "I have a lot to think about."

She frowned slightly; his voice wasn't sharp or angry but it was lower than she'd ever heard it and he was avoiding looking at her. But she supposed that was only natural, a lot happened today. And they needed to get back soon. "Okay," she whispered.

The rest of the walk back was silent. And long. The cottage had been deep in the forest, almost reaching the whole other side from it. To entertain herself she replayed memories. One of the memory when she was five and had woken up on Christmas day to find her mom and dad in the living room with smiles on their faces, each holding out a wrapped present for her. Her brother was only two at the time and was sitting on her father lap playing with some toy he'd gotten; it was her earliest memory of happiness. Eventually, she ran out of memories she wanted to think of and just thought of Daring Charming, her heart skipping a beat. Even though Falada and others thought of him as a vain, pretty-boy Cerise knew there was more to him…

"We're here," Falada said, startling her and she jump but was able to keep in her growl.

"Wait, what happened? Why aren't people out looking…?" Her voice trailed off. The school was dark, and in the distance she could hear the guards on their breaks drinking things she wouldn't be able to drink until several years later and saying things she wished she couldn't hear.

"I don't know, but we should go, we don't want to push our luck." His voice was still low, and Cerise told herself it was because they were both tired. "And I think I'm okay now, I can walk without your help."

"Are you sure? I don't mind."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Letting go of her he stood upright, his legs still a bit shaky and weak, but he was able to take his first few steps without falling. They continued the rest of the way quietly, and Cerise suggested taking a side entrance that most kids didn't know was there because of the hedges unless they were purposely looking for a secret entrance or exit. After pushing open the door and closing it they turned around to a room where all there was the big, stone steps and the cold, hard stone walls. Sighing, she began to go up the steps, wishing she was able to ignore the horrible feelings that swam inside her; she just knew Falada was keeping something inside. It was two floors until they saw a door. The door was made of old but strong wood and had a plain, simple handle. When they pushed through the door, Cerise was glad no one else was out in the hallway to see the hidden door that blended into the wall suddenly open. Though, she wondered why there was a door that led to the dorms of the school.

Standing in the hallway, Cerise had to whisper, "This is the hallway of the female dorms. See? There's my room all the way at the very end of the hall." She pointed to her right. "So, um…I guess I'll see you tomorrow." Falada just leaned against the wall close to where the door was, making no move to go back to his dorm just yet. Cerise frowned, suddenly afraid both her and her father misjudged him. "Falada…are you okay? I know it was been a long day…" Her voice trailed off.

Cerise stood there and listened for the sound of any staff that might be lingering in the hallway for a random inspect to check all students were in the dorms or any students who had to use to the bathroom walking away. There was none and so Cerise calmed down, wishing Falada would say whatever it was on his mind. She only had one other friend before she meant him, and that was Raven, but even then they didn't talk much since the incident and she was finding out she wasn't the best at starting conversations.

Finally, though, she heard him open his mouth and take a deep breath before saying, "Cerise I'll keep your secret like I promised, but…" He had a far away look in his eye like through his eyes he was someplace else.

Cerise felt an invisible weight suddenly be placed on her shoulders. She didn't really understand what was going on. She thought he'd be happy to be back in school to go see Eric again, to go get warm and to rest. What was wrong? Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks. _Is he trying to say we can't be friends anymore? Maybe he doesn't want the burden of having to keep my secret and be my friend?_

"But what?" Cerise whispered.

"I'm… I'm not really that sure," he admitted, and then finally lifted his head to look her in the eyes. "I guess this explains the really lame excuses." Looking down, Cerise felt the wind suddenly blow a bit harder.

Cerise had a feeling whatever was going on with her friend couldn't be solved by standing here and walking over to him and gave him a hug. "We both need sleep, and you have a boyfriend who must be scared to death by now." She smiled and pulled back.

"Goodnight," Falada whispered. But at least now he was smiling.

"'Night," she replied and barely noticed the wind slowly down back to its normal pace.

With that she began to back towards her own dorm room, a swarm of thoughts rumbling through her head with the promise of a sleepless night. When she reached her dorm she looked back to see that he had already left to go back to his room. Even though she was still reeling from the day she had earlier she was happy for her friend. Securing her hood in place, she quietly opened the door and slipped inside. Cedar slept like a, well, a log and didn't even move a bit when her bed made an awful screeching noise when she got on it.

"Goodnight, Daddy," Cerise whispered to the wind, before she closed her eyes. She didn't expect herself to go to sleep, but she could let herself dream while away. She hoped, one day those dreams would become real.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllo! How was you day? Mine? Well, it just got started! :-p Nooooooow, on to reviews! I want to get back to my show..._

_Lily and her tramps: Hahahaha! Yes, things are getting intense, deary! I hope you enjoy this chapter and that it doesn't disappoint. :-) Hope you were able to find the poll!_

_qqsha: Hey, Hunt! ;-) Thank you for reviewing on each chapter and giving useful and helpful feedback! Hehehe, yes, I love his sass, too! He is definately going to make one hell of a king...if he becomes one, that is. Who knows? I don't... Yep, I'm sad over them, too. Really, it pulled at my heart a little bit to write it. As I told you, Mory was someone who replaced Eric because with him I was able to develop a character and Eric just felt bland and boring to me so I scraped him completely. _

_And I must say thank you for reminding me of that left side injury, I nearly forgot it. Too bad I had already forgotten what I put it in there for... Oh well. :-p And yes, I've come to realize while writing this story that the words "and" and "though" get used waaaay too much. It's a habit I hope to break. I do hope you enjoy this chapter!_

_To all my readers, enjoy! And feel free to drop a review if you feel so inclined. If you don't I understand, so many fanfics to read and so little time! _

_**And if you want to see the profiles for all four of my OCs in this chapter (including Falada and Morpheus)**** then you can find them on my profile! Also, those guys are all mine, so please don't steal them, okay? If you'd like to use them in your own work, just ask. I'll probably say yes, anyway...**_

_Bye-bye, now! I am going back to watch _Murder, She Wrote_. Enjoooooooooooooooooooy, my pretties!_

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Falada groaned as he leaned against a random dorm door and slid down the length of the door and hit the floor with a thump, his head resting on top of his bent knees. He breathed in an out, in and out in an attempt to keep the wind speed at its normal rate as his mind swam with too many questions and very little answers. Finally on his own he gripped his left side with his right hand brushing over the area cautiously and winced. It felt bruised as if he slept on a sharp rock outside in the forest before Cerise found him.

_Cerise... What am I suppose to do now? _Falada shook his head in vain to clear it of these unwanted thoughts. _How can I be her friend, now? How can I look at her the same, knowing beneath the hood she has the ears of a wolf?_ He was confused and tired, but his body wouldn't move from where he was sitting. Banging his head against the door behind him, his thoughts moved into even more bothersome thoughts. _Her parents married outside their story and they didn't disappear, no one went poof…_ _What does this mean? Did Headmaster Grimm lie to us?_

Falada fisted his hair in frustration. He didn't really know what to believe anymore. Even though he was there with Cerise in the cottage, talked to her father, he couldn't believe that it happened. From birth it was told to him by every important adult in his life that once you signed the Storybook of Legends you were bound by magic to follow your parents' destiny. No ifs, ands or buts. But that hadn't been the case with them, but they rebelled and flipped their script. That meant it obviously wasn't true.

"I just don't know what to think anymore," he muttered to himself, letting go of his hair. But even as he battled through his confusion, there was a spark of hope that ignited inside of him. _Morpheus and I might be able to get our Happily Ever After…_

Suddenly, the green-eyed boy jumped up, wincing as he not only banged his elbow on the door handle, but his left side burned with the sudden movement. He smacked his forehead and tried to think, Morpheus was the son of the Sandman, if he didn't want to sleep, he didn't really have to. This meant he'd be awake and angry. His door was only around the corner. Gulping, he let the air pick up his feet and floated the rest of the way there as to avoid aggravating his side even more. Standing outside his door, he was hesitant to knock; he would have thought Mory actually went to sleep except light spilled out from the bottom of the door.

Wondering where was the courage he had to stand up to her father, he knocked once lightly. There was no answer and he almost knocked again before remembering this was his room, too. Turning the knob and pushing open the door he squinted against the light, when his eyes adjusted he saw his boyfriend was on the bed in the fetal position with his hands under his head. If he didn't know if he awake before, he did now, he looked so stiff and uncomfortable he might have laughed under different circumstances.

"Morpheus," he said finally, kicking the door shut behind his. He didn't turn around, not that Falada expected him to, when he was angry he shut you out and gave you a cold shoulder that could give you frost bite. "I'm home." Still nothing.

Moving in more to the room he walked over to the bed before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Falada tried to think of a reason he could be upset. Sure, he had skipped and not came back to the dorm, but he was here now. Wasn't that what mattered? Shouldn't he be relieved? He couldn't figure it out if he just kept ignoring him. "Mory, come on, you can't ignore me forever," he said, placing a hand on the nearest body part he could – his ankle – and then scooting closer to him. "I'm home now, aren't you happy?" He bit his lip hard to stop from whining when Morpheus made a point of moving his hand off of him and moving as far away from him on the bed as possible.

Falada couldn't shake the sensation that he was missing or forgetting something. Going through his mental list of important dates he tried to figure it out. Birthday? Nope, his birthday wasn't for another two months, and even then he didn't like to celebrate it. Anniversary? He shook his head, even though he couldn't remember the exact date, he knew it was the first week on November and it only the first few weeks of October. He tried to think of anything else, but nothing was coming to him. He considered getting off this bed to go get his mirror phone which was resting on the table beside his own bed, but didn't want to leave until his boyfriend at least said something to him. Swinging his legs up on the bed, he crawled over to him and rested a hand on his knee, the other on the bed to keep him from falling.

"Baby, you have to say _something_ to me. I can't read your mind." He took a small moment of victory when he didn't move his hand off him.

"You're a jerk and get off my bed," he heard him mumble and his heart sank.

Falada resisted the urge to say anything to that comment and tried to think of why he could be so angry with him. He didn't miss any dates, and even though he left and didn't show up, he was there now and everything was okay. Besides, how was he supposed to explain where he was and keep his promise?

"Tell me why you are so upset," he demanded, "you can't just shut me out forever-after." He nearly did a dance when his boyfriend turned over to his other side to face him, pushing his hand off his knee. It would have been better if he weren't glaring at him.

"Were you with Cerise?" He asked, his voice was low, almost shy, but definitely accusing.

Moving so he was laying down on the bed with his knees bent, he gaped. What was he getting at here? Didn't he ask Cerise to help find him? "Um, well, yeah. She found me and bought me back here. I took a trip in the forest and got lost and ended up taking a nap. She found me and got me back here," he said, his voice laced with confusion.

"And?" He asked, as if he was expecting more. His eyes narrowed and he was about to turn away, but Falada placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Why was she in your dream," he blurted out suddenly and pushed his hand off him to go get off the bed and stand by the window.

Falada couldn't help but let out a barking laugh. "Wait, are you _jealous?"_ He wished he didn't know what he was talking about, but with a rush it came back to him.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he remember the feel of Cerise shaking him as he slept in the forest, calling his name frantically saying he had to get up or he'll freeze to death. He had been having a wonderful dream before that, one with just him and Morpheus. They had been skating, the coldness he felt seeping into his dreams and giving it a place to stay as both boys had skating in a pretty wonderland of snow and ice. But after Cerise had briefly woke up him up, his eyes fluttering open for only a moment before he slipped back into unconsciousness, his dreams changed. After seeing her for the second, his imagination had run wild, picturing all sorts of crazy reasons as to why she kept on her hood ranging from her having about ninety piercing in one ear to her having another pair of eyes on the side of her face before eventually drifting off into a dream of nothing but silence and darkness. But not one of those things had been romantic in any way.

He barely heard his boyfriend mutter a soft, "No," before crossing his arms over his chest and staring out the window.

Falada didn't try to hold back his laugh, and laughed until he had tears in his eyes. "You are," he said when he was done laughing, "you're jealous." Relieved he found the reason to his boyfriend's anger, and noting that it was ridiculous, he got off the bed to walk over to him. Not touching him just yet, he stood next to him and said softly, "You have no reason to be jealous, Mory, I only have eyes for you."

Morpheus scoffed, "You were dreaming about her." But his voice sounded insecure, and it hurt Falada to hear it. A part of him had to admit that he could see his point, even if the dream wasn't romantic, he was still dreaming of someone else, and they had been gone together an awfully long time.

Finally deciding he had to put a stop to this, he slid in between the window area and in front of his boyfriend. "And not one thought of her was romantic in any way," he said, and reached out to grab his hand and smiled when he didn't pull away. "I only love you, and only you. I think I have since the day you dropped your ice cream on me."

Just like he was expecting, Mory smiled, "I was nine, and it was hot outside." With a sigh, he finally grabbed his hand back and laced his fingers through his. "I guess you have a point, but where were you guys all that time? What did you guys do?"

Falada felt his mouth go dry instantly. He never prepared what he was going to say to him. "U-um, she just walked me back to the forest. I was really deep in there so it took a while, we just, uh, talked and stuff."

Morpheus looked doubtful, but then it was washed away with a small smile a second later. "I'm sorry for not trusting you, Fala." He rolled his eyes at himself. "We shouldn't be fighting, not when we have only a few more weeks to be together until Legacy Day. I was dumb."

"Yeah, you kinda were," he agreed and grabbed his other hand and laced his fingers through his. "I understand, though. But you never have to get jealous again, I love you an only you. You're my Prince Charming to my Cinderella, and my true love." Even though Falada meant every word he said with all his heart, he couldn't help but feel cheesy.

"I love you, Fala," he said, and Falada didn't think a truer statement existed. Leaning up on his tiptoes, he kissed him and wrapped his arms around his neck while Mory wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him in close…

The next morning Falada sat at a table with his back against the wall where he sat at during bad weather outside, sniffling and rubbing his nose with a napkin that came with his breakfast. Sleeping outside in the forest gave him a bit of a cold. With him was Morpheus who was sitting silently on the other side of the table reading some novel and Cerise who sat next to his feet where they were laying on the bench. She had her hood covering her head and unlike usual neither of them was saying very much to each other, not even teasing comments about guys. When Mory had asked about it, he blamed it on his cold. Falada watched her as she sipped on some Pumpkin Orange soda. Even though he couldn't see her ears, he stared at the side of her head. Last night, he had almost been able to forget what happened, but now it stared at him from inside her hood. _This is crazy, _he thought, _just say something to make this morning not so awkward. _

As it turned out, he didn't have to because a moment later he heard to voices in near-perfect unison go, "Hey, guys."

Looking up, he saw a girl who fair-colored skin and a thick, exotic blue hair come towards the table. Her blue hair was pulled up into a high ponytail that fell in waves down her back, and her light green eyes were void of makeup but sparkled as she came closer. From behind her, sticking out of her back were beautiful wings that were a shades darker blue than her hair that had a pretty line pattern along the edges. She, of course, was the daughter of the Blue Fairy, the fairy that in her story gave helpful advice to Pinocchio – or in her case, Cedar Wood – and who now teaches beginners magic to first-years students. Behind her was a boy with a mop of curly auburn hair that looked like it never met a comb or brush in its life, and two different colored eyes. The left one was blue and the right was green. Hangings from around his neck were about five or seven necklaces, each made of real, pure gold. Being the son of Rumpelstiltskin, he was able to spin almost anything in order to make himself or others gold with ease.

Falada remained silent, not in the mood for talking as Cerise held a light conversation with Clarify, or "Blu" as she's known by her friends and Mory lean his book over so that Rumple could read it along with him. With a jolt of sadness he watched Rumple constantly glance at Blu or find some small excuse to touch her and as Blu blushed and laughed at everything he said whether in was funny or not. He felt guilty knowing he spent the night cuddling with his boyfriend between heated kisses and small talk. It was obvious to everyone at the table how those two felt about each other, but they were from different stories, and so it was forbidden to be together. And unlike him and Morpheus, Clarify wasn't willing to risk going _poof_ no matter how strong or true her feelings were her him. The only Happily Ever After they had together was in their dreams, or so Morpheus had told him once.

He was snapped out of his thoughts by a hand waving in front of his face and Rumple saying, "You are so out of it, Falada, Headmaster Grimm just called you on the 'speaker."

As if to prove his point, Falada heard the loudspeaker crackle to life and the gruff voice of the headmaster saying, "Will Falada Goose please report to my office immediately."

He heard Blu ask, "What did you do this time?" He shook his head, he didn't have a clue.

Cerise started to get up, and he shook his head. If this had nothing to do with last night then there was no reason to make him suspicious. The two friends shared a look and she saw the worry in her eyes, and he flashed a smile. Under the table, he squeezed Morpheus's hand and got up. He never went there before but it was common knowledge that his office was all the on the other side of the school. Waving goodbye to his friends, he let the air lift up his feet and float his out of the castleteria. Once he had turned the corner and the noise of chattering students was distant, he set his feet down and tried to think.

All his thoughts gravitated towards the man that had just requested his presence. _Did Headmaster Grimm really lie to all of us? But why would he lie to us? What would that gain him? _Slowly down his heads, he decided to take his sweet ol' time getting there. Even though he wasn't looking forward to being a king, he was still a prince and princes do not rush or run for anybody. Standing a bit straighter, he remembered what Morpheus had told him, "When they came to the room to see if you were asleep I put them under a sleeping spell. By the time you woke up Rumple was in your bed with his head under the covers. They didn't question anything and left." He really did have an amazing set of friends.

But could that be what this is about? Could they have went back and questioned why they ever fell asleep in the first place? Most of the guards were either human men or ogres. If it was the ogres that came, then maybe they were in luck. Everyone knew they were known for their brawns and not brains. Not that they were completely without brain cells, of course, but they were simple-minded and didn't question things much preferring to stay out of trouble if it couldn't be dealt with by smashing it. Quickly, his brain went back to what it really cared to think about since last night. _Why would Headmaster Grimm lie to us all?_

Finally, though, he arrived at the door where the leader of the school resided during most of the day. He knocked and heard from inside the room a voice call out, "Come in Mr. Goose."

Suddenly feeling nervous, he lifted his feet with the wind and pushed open the door and let it swing shut on its own with a low whistle as it did. Looking up he only saw the back of a chair, the Headmaster still facing the window that overlooked the main entrance and exit of the school. Swinging around slowly, the headmaster faced him, a deep frown on his face and his hands folded into his lap. Looking the young boy in the eyes he motioned to a chair with one of his fingers.

Taking that as his way of telling him to sit down, Falada couldn't help but feel nervous. What if he found the cottage last night and was questioning him about it? But why question him and not Cerise?

"Mr. Goose, I've been receiving multiple complaints from your teachers these last few weeks about skipping classes," the gray-hair man said in a deep, disapproving voice, "I would like to give you a chance to explain yourself. Is there something wrong with your classes?"

Falada was stunned for a moment. That's what one of the most powerful, non-Royal men in the kingdoms wanted to speak to him about? "Oh, um, nothing really. It's just…" He trailed off, feeling like he swallowed marbles and they had gotten stuck in his throat. He'd almost said it, what he was really feeling… _It's just I don't want to sign the Storybook of Legends and I think you are lying to us of about that._

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he leaned forward, "It's just what?" His voice was still as professional and calm as ever, but his body language spoke volumes.

"It's just…" Falada swallowed, trying to get rid of the imaginary marbles, "I don't really like my classes…"

"I see. Is there a reason for this?" His voice seemed to imply something to the young prince, but for the life of him he didn't know what that was. "I recently noticed you've befriended Cerise Hood, has she changed your mind about anything? You do know it is your destiny to become a king; commoners like her mother or suppose to listen to you and not the other way around."

Falada who had began to look everywhere else in the room but to the man he was speaking with, snapped his neck up and felt his eyes widened. So this is the reason he called him in here! What did he expect him to say, and why was he so suspicious of his friend. "What? No, she hasn't!" Taking a deep breath, he felt a small bit of same courage seep into him as he did when he was talking to The Big Bad Wolf. "Of course not, sir, everyone knows Cerise is a lone wolf. I just offered my friendship as a way to make sure she has no doubts as to the kindness and leadership of us Royals. That's what we are here to do, isn't it, learn to be the great leaders our parents are?" He looked him in the eyes and raised his chin up just like his father does when talking to anyone he deemed lesser than him.

Apparently, the headmaster did not like to be challenged. He knew Falada was keeping something and wasn't going to rat out his friend so easily. "Very well, but you still need to be punished for your actions. Beginning Monday, you will have detention for the whole week and will also spend an hour and a half with Dr. King Charming. You were right, it is your duty to learn to best the best king you can be and carry out your story, and spending time with him will be good for you." The smile he gave him looked crooked.

Falada swallowed a groan and forced a fake smile on his face. "Of course, Headmaster Grimm, thank you." Not thinking he could stand another moment in the presence of this man, he bowed his head respectfully and took his leave.

As he was closing the door, he heard the older man say, "Please let Cerise Hood I'd like for her to be in my office sometime before curfew today." And the door slammed shut with a bang as the wind forced it close faster than it would have on its own. From inside the sound of the wind and papers being tossed around everywhere could be heard and Falada smirked before hovering away in case he made him come back to help pick them up.

Cerise… Even though the headmaster didn't know her secret, he was obviously suspicious, but then again so was everyone at school. But with Legacy Day rehearsals being tomorrow and the real Legacy Day being in only a few weeks, he must be getting anxious to find out what she was finding. Stopping dead in his tracks, and stumbling when the wind just dropped him suddenly he realized he had called Cerise his friend. Were they? Biting his lip, he realized they were. He wouldn't have stood up to the man who could make his school life very unpleasant for someone who wasn't. Maybe things would be different now, but maybe that was a good thing; they each knew the other's secret and now they could trust each other completely like real friends should. He'd have to make sure she knew that.

Deciding he wasn't going to tell Cerise the headmaster had requested her, he tried to focus on the good of the day. It was a Saturday, so he and Mory could spend all day in their dorm room if they felt like it, he knew Cerise's secret and they were still friends and he stood up to Headmaster Grimm. Besides, he could always call for her on the loudspeaker. Shaking his head to clear it of negative thoughts, he walked into the castleteria and saw that his friends were sitting there waiting for him to deliver the news.


	6. A spark of Rebels

_Hello, everybody! Thank you all for taking the time to read this chapter, and the story in general. It means a lot to me, it really does! :) Sorry this chapter took so long to put up, wrote it days ago, but just do not like it much. But also not in the mood to rewrite the entire thing, so here y'all go! I hope you all enjoy! Now, to get to the review, dears...  
_

_Cucumbermonster4: Thank you! I am pleased to hear you thought it was amazing! :-) Though I appreciate your review, if you do review again, please feel free to tell me what exactly you thought was so good. :)  
_

_Lily and her tramps: Haha, yes! They are officially friends! And ain't that grand? Yeah, it is. Best friends forever-after! Anyway, sorry to say but a certain devious, secretive headmaster will definitely make his presence known...and not in the good way... Jerk. Doing his character is hard, especially, since we haven't been told yet why he does what he does and he isn't even in that many scenes. }.{  
_

_qqsha: Yay! I'm so glad you reviewed! And surprised since I didn't think you would. :-p I didn't think about it showing any growth in him, but since you mentioned it, I guess it does. We know he isn't afraid to stand up for himself for his friends, at least. Though, that kind of backfired on him because now he has detention and has to spend time with Dr. Charming which, well, he isn't going to be looking forward to. Like, at all.  
_

_Oh my fairy godmother, Mory is adorable! Hehe. It was fun writing that! I'm glad you think that they make a cute couple. Hopefully, these next chapters will not disappoint. And a short review is better than no review, deary. :D_

_By the way, did you all see the new episode? True Heart's Day? Who do you ship Cupid and Dexter (Dexpid or Cupter?) or Raven and Dexter (Raxter or Dexen?)? And do you guys like the newest characters, Sparrow and Duchess? Yay or nay? I think they look sooo cute together! Sounds off in the review. If you want... _

_Oh, and can anyone else think of better couple names? Because I suck at it! XP_

**_And a special shout-out goes to Lily and her tramps for being such an awesome person and helping me with this chapter! This one id dedicated to you! _**

* * *

Cerise's mirror-phone lite up and let out a tune from where it was sitting on her bed. The phone's owner sat in front of a mirror, her red hood down and was in the middle of brushing her hair. Her roommate, Cedar Wood, was currently out of the room; her friend had been so in a rush today that she barely said hello to her before getting dressed and running out of the room. Any other day it would have been weird, but today was the day of Legacy Day rehearsals and everyone was busy getting ready for that. Headmaster Grimm wanted everyone to dress as they would for the real day and everyone was busy getting ready. Well, everyone except her and whoever just sent her a message. It was probably Falada, every since he came back from seeing the headmaster he was acting much friendlier and had called her his friend; she was glad, whatever Headmaster Grimm said obviously made him decide he wanted to be her friend.

Setting the brush down on her dark red vanity, she danced to her bed. Normally, she would have brushed her hair in the bathroom, but Cedar would be gone until after rehearsals are over and she would hear if anyone was coming. Her phone let out another tune and picked it up to see that it was Mory. Confused, she wondered what he might have wanted. Sure, she sat with him everyday and they talked in the castleteria and even during Chemythstry, but this was the first time he ever messaged her. She struggled to remember when she gave him her number and realized Falada must have it to him.

**Unknown: **It's Morpheus. Can we talk b4 practice?

**Unknown:** It's important.

Cerise tried to quiet the rumbling in her stomach by breathing in and out, just like Falada does when he is trying to calm down. She didn't know why Headmaster Grimm couldn't until after breakfast to have rehearsals. Glancing at the clock on the wall, she saw she had thirty minutes before Legacy Day rehearsals began. For the real Legacy Day every student had to wear the item of clothing that their ancestor had made famous, but for her that wasn't a problem. Her mother, Little Red Riding Hood had made the red hood famous, not the one she wears but it was close enough; the only thing missing from the hood was the soft, ebony fur that lined the hood. Cerise scoffed at the thought of getting dressed only by taking off the hood she wore to put one on that was nearly identical and had decided a bit rebelliously to not bother. She was glad, it meant she had her dorm room to herself and was free to brush her hair and have her hood off and relax in front of her beautiful, dark red vanity instead of standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Looking down at her phone she wondered what Mory could possibly want to talk about so early. Her phone came to life as she received not one, but two more messages.

**Unknown: **Cerise?

**Falada: **So sorry! L

Cerise felt her stomach drop and hoped she was very wrong about what she thought they were talking about. He couldn't have… _Oh, please no, he couldn't have actually told him, could he? He promised!_ With shaky fingers, she typed a message back.

**You: **Meet me by our tree.

She sent the text to both boys, and danced around her room to grab brushed before raking through it twice and putting on her hood. Looking it the mirror as she did so, she turned away from the look of fear on her face. She didn't want to believe Falada would betray her trust, but some fear was still managed to worm its way into her heart and squeeze. She frowned at herself and gave her arm a small pinch; she had to stop thinking so negatively and trust her friend. All her life she wanted friends, and now that she got them, she had to learn to trust them or else she'll end up back where she started with none. That didn't mean it'd be easy. Now, she was sure it was nothing. Double checking mentally to make sure she had everything, she heard her mirror-phone notify her that she had another text message.

**Unknown: **OK.

**Falada: **Can't meet you. A wardrobe fairy-fail. L

Sighing, Cerise didn't bother to text either of them back before she double checked her hood was on right, slipped her mirror-phone into her pocket and walked out the room. Looking down the hallway she didn't see anyone except Jean-Belle and Beast who were making out close to where that secret door was. Rolling her eyes, she tried to convince herself it was nothing, but with each step her worries grew. When she got to the castleteria she peeked in the door, all she saw were a gaggle of maids who cleaned up the area before and after each meal. Figuring none of them would try and stop her, since all second-years were either suppose to be getting ready or on their way to rehearsals, she raced through the area and to the other side, her speed only a little bit over average. Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the castleteria and into the grassy field. Looking around she saw him sitting down, his eyes closed and head leaning forward as if he were asleep.

Putting on a smile, she walked over to him, "I'm here," she announced in her low voice. She didn't want to sit and leaned against the tree and gripped her hood to make sure it stayed in place, pulling it closer to her face. "What's up?"

Mory looked up at her and smiled, but the smile was fleeting and disappeared as soon as it came. "Hey, um…" he said muttered and stood up to face her.

Cerise frowned, sometimes she wondered if he had even less conversational skills than she did. "Is everything okay?" She eyed his clothing. He wore a long coat, similar to the black one he wears everyday, but this one was almost impossible to tell the color of as it changed from green to red and from red to blue as he sifted from side to side. The shifting of the colors bothered her eyes a bit. Underneath the coat, which also had a row of five or six black buttons to keep it shut, was a pair of regular jeans. "Is everyt—"

"I know the secret," he blurted out, his voice louder than what she was used to and after he said it he clamped his mouth shut as if he hadn't meant to say it. He looked down at the grass. "It's not Fala's fault, I knew for a while. It's my 'gift.'"

"What do you mean you knew for a while? And what gift? And what exactly do you know?" The young lady felt cold suddenly. Another person knows… Maybe her dad was right, maybe she wasn't responsible enough to attend school and keep her secret. But then again, maybe she would be lucky and the secret wasn't as big as he was making it out to be and was really something trivial and stupid.

He didn't answer her right away, and instead sat dad and patted the ground. "You look ready to drop, sit down first." Biting the inside of her cheek to keep from snapping at him, she sat down and leaned against the tree finding a bit of comfort in the hard bark of it. Shifting to look at her, his coat turned to a blue color. He looked around to make sure no one else and saw it was vacant and even the lunch maids were gone, he said in a low voice, "Well, to answer your questions one at a time… I suspected for a few weeks, now, since maybe the beginning of the school year, I think. See, being who I am – or more like who I'll become – I can't dream my own, personal dreams and kind of just float into the dreams of others and one night...I slipped into yours. I forget exactly what it was, but I remember the important bits. It had the Big Bad Wolf in it and I remember there was a picnic. But what I remember most was your calling him daddy. I thought it was just a twisted fantasy, really, and dismissed it. I've went into your dreams a few times since then, sometimes it was similar and other times it was different, but it always had the same people in it. Finally, I told Fala about it and…" He stopped and looked at Cerise closely.

Cerise felt her hands that had been gripping her hood, start to shake slightly and let go to twist them together. He knew. She let her secret out _again. _She comforted herself with the fact that this was in no way her fault. How could she have known he would see her dreams? "And then what?"

"And he told me what really happened that night he went missing. Of course, he stressed I don't tell and I swore I won't, but… Is your dad seriously the Big Bad Wolf?"

Not trusting herself to speak coherent words, she just nodded. Cerise tried to fully grasp everything that was just said. Her ears picked up on the sound of a microphone screeching to life. That's when she remembered what day it was. They were missing Legacy Day rehearsals!

"Mory, I just heard Legacy Day rehearsals start up! We have to go, like, now!" Turning on her heels, she was once again glad she could run so well in the heels she wore. "Come on," she urged before taking off.

"We're late, we're late for a very important date!" Morpheus said behind her. Did he possibly find this amusing? Everyone knew you were never supposed to be late for this.

Slowly down a bit, she and Morpheus ran side by side, not saying anything. Luckily, the rehearsals and the actual day would be held outside. And it wasn't even that long as a run, in seven minutes both him and Cerise came into view of the other students. There was a spiral staircase that lead to a stage and on the stage was a microphone stand and, of course, the microphone. A few students stood to the back of the stage, and a few even stood on the stairs that led up to it, but many just stood or sat down in the provided chairs. Scanning the crowd she saw that her friend Clarify was sitting with her other friends and that Falada and Rumple were towards the back of the crowd sitting in the chairs and she walked over to the boys.

As the two got closer she saw Falada lock eyes with Morpheus and brightened a bit. "Hey, guys," she said and instead of taking the seat behind Falada that was empty she gestured for Mory to take it and sat down on the cool grass.

"Hey," both boys said together, their voices were almost somber.

Cerise sighed. Everyone with the exception of the Royals were not very happy today, she thought, today is the first day everyone is forced to really realize that in a few short weeks they were going to have to sign the Storybook of Legends and seal their fate. Whether they wanted to or not – and Cerise do not. Being the daughter of her parents, the idea never sat with her for obvious reasons. Turning to look up at the stage, she saw Apple White, the beautiful and charming daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, smile to the crowd and walk away from the microphone; Cerise had managed to tune for out. When she left, her friend Raven Queen got up from where she was somewhere in the back to go up to stand.

"I'm Raven Queen and I pledge to follow my destiny as…" her voice trailed off, and she looked behind her to someone she couldn't see from where she sat, "Um, I have a question," she said to the person.

"What is it?" She recognized the voice as the leader of the school. Headmaster Grimm sounded gruff and stern as usual.

"I was just wondering, I mean… What if I don't want to take the pledge," she asked.

She heard the rest of the students there gasp, and even though she wasn't really surprised, she joined it. It wasn't the fact she'd said it more like the fact someone else had the nerve to ask the question aloud, in front of the headmaster no less. It was blasphemy to ever speak out loud, and when Cerise looked around the area she saw the shock of her words wearing off and the students beginning to whisper amongst each other. Focusing on making sure the chatter didn't give her a headache, she tuned them out. From where she couldn't see, she heard Apple's shrill voice as she freaked out over Raven. She tuned her out as well because, well…she thought her voice was irritating.

Feeling someone tap her she looked down to see Falada looking down at her. "Can't believe she did that, you know? That took guts."

Cerise let out a small smile and nodded. As she was about to speak someone came over someone cut her off, "Oh my fairy godmothers, you guys shouldn't be happy about this! She's so wrong! Everyone knows if you don't sign you go _poof! _She is so selfish!"It was Blu who came running over from where she had been hanging out with some other Royals and their non-Royal-but-still-popular friends.

From where Rumple was sitting she watched his face fall if he had been hoping she had a different reaction to the news. When she was about to answer she looked up to see Raven run off the stage and down the stairs as the rest of their peers move to create a path for her to run. Running close enough to her see she saw a few tears slip from her eyes, smudging her makeup, and felt sorry for her. She knew what it was like to not be looking forward to the destiny everyone said you were supposed to have and almost ran to go comfort her friend, but she felt Falada grab her elbow when she stood up. Giving her a look her, he used his chin to motion up to the stage where Headmaster Grimm was walking up to the microphone, and mouthed _don't. _She narrowed her eyes a bit not liking being told what to do, but sat back down anyway.

Suddenly, she heard the noise of the microphone screech and saw the headmaster standing where Raven just was. Clearing his throat, he went on to say, "Because of one students' bad behavior the rehearsal's are now cancelled. All those without classes are free to leave campus and enjoy the rest of your Saturday. Remember that curfew is at seven!" With that, the sounds of the students increased, every single one talking about Raven's fast exit. There seemed to be a bit of a disagreement among the students.

She looked at Mory who was looking at Falada who was looking at her. "So…um…" Mory started and stopped.

"Why were you guys late?" Falada asked in an innocent enough voice. Knitting her eyebrows, she gave him a questioning look. Didn't he send her a message, too? But as she was about to say they should go somewhere else and talk about this, he winked at them both and she got it.

"I thought I had more time since this hood is almost exact to the one my mom wore and I didn't really have to get ready anymore than usual since I don't dress up my face." She winked back at him, but her wink was a bit too over exaggerated.

When Mory saw her wink, he rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath where no one but Cerise could hear him, "She's as subtle as Hopper is when he turns into a frog." Cerise frowned at him, and when he saw the frown and realized she had heard him he shot her an apologetic smile.

"What's dressing up your face," Rumple said as he joined the conversation suddenly. He waved to Blu who was going back to her other friends, but instead of waving and smiling like she usually does for him she just rolled her eyes and turned away.

"Putting on makeup," she clarified. What happened, she wondered, did they get in a fight about signing the Storybook of Legends, too?

He nodded at her, and then the hooded girl said, "I don't know about you, but I'm hungry." Her voice was still low as usual for her, and she let out a small growl when Falada slapped her back and laughed.

"Then come on, let's go eat!" . ?docid=37174746

It seemed the other fairy tale characters thought the same as most of them had begun to go inside and walk the longer way to the castleteria. When Falada and Rumpelstiltskin Junior began to follow them, Mory gave Cerise a small smile and grabbed Falada's hand and tugged him back the way he and Cerise had ran to get there.

"Come on, we have a shortcut," she said and grinned widely.

When Morpheus let go of his hand and ran to show them the way, Cerise hung back a little and watched her friends. She was still sometimes amazing, all her life she had wanted friends, but because of her secret she never thought she would ever make any. But then Raven found out her secret and promised to keep it and she had been overjoyed! But now, she had an entire group of friends, all different and all willing to accept her for her odd flaws and she almost felt like skipping. And maybe she would have if she weren't wearing high heels and thought she wouldn't fall on her face. No matter what happened, these people were going to be her friends for a while and she was so happy about it she considered skipping once more. Shaking her head, she decided again on no skipping and ran to go catch up with her friends. By now they realized she had stopped and they were looking back at her and saying for her to hurry up before the good food is gone.

And as she did so, she heard Headmaster Grimm add, "And remember children, if you do not sign the Storybook of Legends your story will cease to exist, and you and everyone in your story will as well."

Cerise looked around the area, not many students were still there anymore. Looking up at him as she ran, she tried to ignore the feelings that said he had been talking directly to her. But still, that was hard since he really did look at her as he said the words.

But no, not even the Headmaster Grimm was going to ruin her day. What was usually a day of regret who any student who did not want to sign the Storybook of Legends, she saw it as a day of hope. Raven's outburst wasn't going to be forgotten anytime soon for anybody and maybe she alone could be the spark that ignited a change in Ever After High. Forever.


End file.
